Visual Journalism: Looking at the other in the age of selfie

This resource page features course content from the Knight Center for Journalism in the America's massive open online course (MOOC) titled "Visual Journalism: Looking at the other in the age of selfie." The four-week course took place from March 4 to March 31, 2019. We are now making the content free and available to students who took the course and anyone else who's interested in the photojournalism and telling other people's stories through documentary photography.

The course, which was supported by the Knight Foundation, was taught by João Pina. He created and curated the content for the course, which includes video classes, readings, exercises, and more.

Introduction Module: Course Introduction

In the introductory module, you will get an overview of the course structure and meet the instructor.

Module 1: The History and ethics of photojournalism and documentary photography

This module will cover:

History of “Humanistic photography”

Great Depression, Spanish Civil War and WWII and role of photography

The golden years of photography in the print media

Ethical standards in the journalistic world

Evolution of the perceptions of photographic reality

Guest Speaker: James Wellford – National Geographic Magazine

Module 2: Self portrait vs. Selfie

This module will cover:

The drive to use your own body to tell a story

Looking at the inner world vs. global issues

Developing portrait skills

Guest Speaker: Diana Markosian – Magnum photographer

Module 3: The importance of strong visuals and the photobook as an object

This module will cover:

The documentary project from idea to the book/exhibition

Photographic skills in unknown territories

The importance of photobooks as a definitive media of communication

Guest Speaker: Stephen Ferry – American photographer based in Colombia

Module 4: Using social network platforms to create outreach

This module will cover:

How to increase your audience on traditional and social media

Creating meaningful work that avoids creating visual noise

How to survive as a photojournalist

Engage with a complete stranger and photograph them

Guest Speaker: Adriana Zehbrauskas – Brazilian photographer based in Mexico